13 May, 2017

Leaked NSA malware is helping hijack computers around the world

In
mid-April, an arsenal of powerful software tools apparently designed
by the NSA to infect and control Windows computers was leaked by an
entity known only as the “Shadow Brokers.” Not even a whole month
later, the hypothetical threat that criminals would use the tools
against the general public has become real, and tens of thousands of
computers worldwide are now crippled by an unknown party demanding
ransom.

The malware
worm taking over the computers goes by the names “WannaCry” or
“Wanna Decryptor.” It spreads from machine to machine silently
and remains invisible to users until it unveils itself as so-called
ransomware, telling users that all their files have been encrypted
with a key known only to the attacker and that they will be locked
out until they pay $300 to an anonymous party using the
cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

At this
point, one’s computer would be rendered useless for anything other
than paying said ransom. The price rises to $600 after a few days;
after seven days, if no ransom is paid, the hacker (or hackers) will
make the data permanently inaccessible (WannaCry victims will have a
handy countdown clock to see exactly how much time they have left).

Ransomware
is not new; for victims, such an attack is normally a colossal
headache. But today’s vicious outbreak has spread ransomware on a
massive scale, hitting not just home computers but reportedly health
care, communications infrastructure, logistics, and government
entities.